Of the Many Secrets
by WeepingWillowA
Summary: A young misunderstood girl adopted by an old, misunderstood man. Albus Dumbledore takes in a child orphaned by Death Eaters. Why was she so special to the Dark Lord?
1. Chapter 1

1

_There was a great deal of shouting and a thunderous crash. Dumbledore headed back towards the double doors he had just left, Cornelius Fudge blundering on his heals. There, sitting on the floor, were the two aurors they had left only moments ago. Fudge let out a great squawk and started sputtering about kidnaping, murder, and defenses. _

_Dumbledore surveyed the situation through the top of his half moon glasses for a moment and then walked briskly over to where the curtains hung over the large one way glass. Leaning slightly he lifted the drape to reveal the small hunched form of a child. The girl looked up reluctantly and met his eyes. She expected to be yelled at, perhaps even a good smack, what she didn't expect was the gentle chuckle that came from the man and actually flinched from it. Dumbledore knelt besides her watching her for a moment when the auror behind them yells, "Get away from her, she is dangerous."_

_Not moving Dumbledore simply continued to look at the girl. Softly he asks her, "Are you dangerous?"_

_"If you try to curse me." And although it was meant to be haughty the words came out more like a plea to the older man. _

_"Indeed it would seem so." Dumbledore chuckled again, blue eyes shining. "Pardon me for a moment." Still holding the curtain he rose up from his position and turned to the other men. "It does appear that stunning her is not going to work." With half a chuckle at the grown men still cowering on the floor not that unlike the young child huddled under the raised curtain._

_"Well then what do you suggest?" Growled the other auror as he pinched a free flowing cut on his arm. The young man had joined the auror department a few years earlier and was known for his arrests and daring skills. He was more than a little irrate with having a child thwart him._

_Dumbledore simply looked back down at the girl who was watching him warily, knowing that he held the answer to what was going to happen to her._

_"Why don't you excuse us for a bit."_

"And that is all I know of it. He came walking out with the girl as docile as could be. We took her to St Mungo's and then when it came down to what to do with her Dumbledore stepped in again and offered to keep an eye on her at Hogwarts. Legally he adopted the girl and though he always let us question her she remains as silent as that chair." Fudge sighed with irritation. "I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to have told her to stay quiet about anything she knows." Fudge sighed, looking at the pretty barmaid who smiled and offered him another glass of rum.

"No thanks Rosmerta, I must say it is getting late and I am best off to get back to the Ministry. You won't mention what I just told you though, I daresay it may upset some people. Pride is still a bit tender of where that little girl getting the better of them." Rosmerta laughed and agreed to remain quiet, however Fudge had no sooner left than she was chatting happily with another couple who were very interested in what she knew.


	2. Chapter 2

1Meanwhile just a little ways away Dumbledore was sitting in his office. Indeed, the headmaster was pondering the same things that Fudge was, and Fudge wasn't wrong that he did have more information than the minister to ponder. Fudge _was _dreadfully wrong about Alleyne being instructed by him, or anyone else for that matter, not to disclose information to the Minister. That was simply her obstinate nature. She had not forgotten that day years ago anymore than he.

There came a firm knock from outside his office door. "Enter" he said, knowing that she was on the other side of the door and probably bubbling over with the irritation that Fudge's visits seemed destined to bring. He was not disappointed as a slender girl with deep, thick, dark hair came into the room. Her vivid blue eyes flashed with anger and her usual smile was replaced with what could only be called disgust.

He almost chuckled out loud at the very site of her. Barely eleven and already capable of seeing people for exactly what they were not to mention a range of emotions most adults never experienced. Then again, he corrected, she had always seen Fudge for what he is. She had halted at the other side of the desk from him and for a moment he thought of just letting the silence grow until she spoke but he couldn't quite resist provoking her just a bit. Her sweet features making the snarl on her face quite amusing.

"The news has come to me that the Minister of Magic has paid you a visit." He said, his eyes twinkling as he spoke.

"Minister of Pompousness would be a more accurate term. He believes that you have told me to keep information to myself and that I am being brainwashed against him." She replied, obviously this had bothered her much and she spit all the words quickly from her small mouth. Dumbledore motioned for her to come around the desk and she did so almost at a run. Climbing into his lap she laid her head on his chest and sniffed. "Why can't he leave me alone. How am I to know if Voldemort is dead or alive, he knows the only Death Eaters I ever saw was Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LaStrange. He _cleared _Malfoy, even thoughI know that he wasn't bewitched at all." All of this was said at the topmost speed Alleyne could manage. Dumbledore allowed her to pour it all out, all the while holding her to him and marveling how brilliant she really was.

Later that night Alleyne crept down the stairs from her room. Though Minerva had tucked her in and admonished her to get some sleep so she would be fresh in the morning sleep alluded her. Summer was in full swing now so the castle corridors were very warm. What would it be like to be here as a student? She had, of course, been in the school during the scholastic year, but she paid little attention to any of it. She went where she pleased, knew the house-elves by first name, and had her private lessons for _her _magic. Indeed, had she not grown up at Hogwarts it seems very likely that she wouldn't have been able to be a student there.

Alleyne had a unique form of magic. Indeed she was an abstinemaige; able to do magic without a wand, truly at times without trying or knowing she was doing so. That night with the two aurors was repeated many times before the true reason was found for Alleyne's run away powers. Dumbledore and McGonagall had both been tutoring her for several years now and though she had mastered them mostly there was still so much to learn. Indeed, the first thing she had to learn was the ability to tell when magic had been cast or where. It was imperative that she learn how to detect when she had cast a spell to become alert to the small differences in herself. It never failed to shock her how Dumbledore could always tell and accident from deliberation of her powers.

"Why Miss Ashford, what could you possibly be doing at this hour creeping around." Starting she looked around to see Sir Nick, a rather friendly ghost and claimed of the Gryffindor House.

"Hi Sir Nick." She smiled at him, "I couldn't sleep and so I hoped that a walk would help."

"Excited about becoming a student?"

"Oh yes," She said, leaving out that she felt so nervous when she really thought about it that she could cry. Her room, her privileges, and even her relationships would all change. She had already been informed that she would not be allowed to call any of the Professors by their first names any longer.

Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be back in her bed. Making excuses to Sir Nick of being tired she left and went back to her room. She knew what Nick had been hedging at, he wanted to know about her house. Everyone had been talking about that quietly when they thought she wasn't around or listening. There were a couple of professors that would have preferred her to stay in her room. Most vocal and been Severus Snape who said he did not want her in his house and that was where she was going to end up. Indeed, she wondered where she would end up. After all, both of her parents had been in Gryffindor and it did usually run in the family. However, they hadn't lived with Voldemort either she reasoned to herself. She knew that it would prove a lot of people 'right' about her if she did end up in Slytherin and she knew also that it would let Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall down greatly. They had been the extreme advocates that she should be allowed to go to school as a normal student.

Well, as normal as possible. Alley thought to herself. I certainly don't fall under any category of normal I have heard of. Indeed, between her abstinemaige abilities and her unique upbringing she wads surprised that the Minister of Magic had not been at the school every other day. There had even been a suggestion that she go abroad to study but she hadn't wanted to do that either. Dumbledore suggested that to her one evening and did not say anything when she had adamantly refused to go to a foreign school. She rather thought Dumbledore was pleased that she wanted to stay at Hogwarts (and truthfully had he admitted it he would have missed the girl terribly had she gone to another school for most of the year) and before she knew it all was arranged and she would be sorted and placed as another student.

September first came rapidly, as things always do when you don't want them to. Alley found herself being shifted into the crowd by Professor Sprout outside of the dinning hall. No one noticed her much, they all were shifting around nervously and took no notice of another girl dressed in her Hogwarts' robes. When they followed Professor McGonagall in Alley noticed how she avoided her eye. Instead, the spoke crisply and lead them up to the sorting hat. Called up alphabetically Alley was at the very top of the list, only one before her. A slight lull seemed to occur after the first boy (who's name she had not been listening to) was accepted into Ravenclaw and her name was called.

Alley was not unused to people watching her and she marched off to the stool as if she had done it a thousand times before. She, unlike most of the first years, held no fear of anything in Hogwarts especially Minerva McGonagall. The hat fell over her eyes when placed on her head and for a moment she heard nothing.

"Ho ho..." Came a small voice in her ear. "perhaps my most difficult to sort yet" The voice sounded pleased about this. "Powerful, yes, very powerful... and bright, no doubt about that... courage in ample amounts and a bit of darkness thrown in to the mix." Alley wanted to lash out at the hat but instead she felt tears well up behind her eyes. Even the sorting hat thought she was evil.

"Oh no, you aren't evil, but powerful enough that if you became so you would be quite formidable." the hat murmured into her ear.

"Then don't help it along any." She replied sarcastically back.

The had chuckled gently and there was silence for a moment. Alley heard a scrap of a chair in Great Hall and started a bit, she had forgotten everyone else was there too.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled and there was a great cheer from that table. Alley jumped up from the seat when Professor McGonagall had took the hat off. Her heart was thumping and she caught the Professor's eye this time and although there was no smile there was a pleased look on her face as Alley sat down at the table, having her hand shaken by several people she didn't know, she caught Dumbledore's eye too. He didn't refrain from a large smile that was across his face. She gave him her best 'well-what-do-you-expect' look and didn't look at him again until the meal was over and he gave his speech.

"A few start of term reminders for those of you who may have forgotten over our long vacation. First, the forest is forbidden to all students. Second, Professor Kettleburn has asked me to inform you all that Care of Magical creatures has been relocated to the area near the beech tree by the lake. Third, there is a great deal of Zonko's merchandise that has been banned from Hogwarts. If you are interested in knowing if your purchases are illegal you can see Mr Filch with any questions you have." He nearly smiled at these words. "I believe that is all and seeing as class starts bright and early tomorrow I am sure you are all ready to run off to bed. Good eve"

Alley blended into Hogwarts and became another student much more smoothly than anyone could have imagined. Dumbledore would spend every moment that he could watching her or listening to her talk with other students and professors. Her grades were always at the top of her class and she kept her special abilities to herself as they had discussed. Indeed, the only real problem was the idea that she seemed to have was that she had no one else outside of Hogwarts. Letters that were sent between parents and the first years were always a highlight to the students, yet, Alley didn't have that. Students would head down to Hogsmeade to catch the train back to King's Cross and Alley planned to say good-bye in the entryway and then head up to her room. She showed no desire to mingle with the professors like she used to and was distant even with Dumbledore although in the past the holidays had always held a great deal of excitement for her. There would be other students at Hogwarts for Christmas, but that didn't mean much to her. She hadn't asked if she could move back to her old room or if she had to stay in the dormitory, instead she took the stance that if they didn't want her there then they would make her move.

He showed up at her door at about a quarter to six. She had choose to eat alone in her room and when he arrived it was to find her curled around some homework that she had been given for the break.

"How very diligent you are to be doing school work on the very first day of break." He said. She glanced up for a moment and then marked her spot in the book.

"How are you doing?" She asked him from her perch on her bed. Moving over a bit to let him sit down.

"I was wondering," he replied delicately, "If you was interested in going to London with me for awhile tomorrow. I was thinking of spending the day picking up some things in Diagon Alley and then perhaps exploring a bit of muggle London. I have a few presents to pick up and maybe a few hamburger stands to visit as well."

She smiled looking at the floor. He knew that they had not spent much time together and that she was lonely. She had made a few friends in her grade but mostly had stayed to herself. It was too hard to explain why she had extra lessons with the headmaster or field questions about her past that she didn't want to answer. Many of her classmates saw this as an aloof stance and ignored her or whispered behind her back that her grades where really due to favoritism.

The next day at the Leaky Cauldron Alley and Dumbledore were sitting over a couple of hamburgers throughly discussing the more colorful characters of the forbidden forest.

"I think that the centaurs are by far the best creatures there. At least when it comes to someone who will just listen. It takes so long to get anything out of them that if you are in any sort of a hurry you had best just turn right back around." Alley was saying to Dumbledore who was nodding easily.

"I remember," he began, "when I first met the centaurs. I had wandered into the woods in a mildly curious form and emerged with a complete whole new take on life. Not to mention an arrow through the top of my favorite hat." Alley laughed at the thought and though he didn't mention it she knew that he must have earned their respect as well that day for all the centaurs knew of him and really it was only her affiliation with him that had earned her the right to talk to them at all. At least at first, she could honestly say that now she had earned her own spot with them. She had showed a keen interest in listening about the constellations and how they moved and such is the way to any centaurs heart.

They walked through the small shops in Diagon Alley, looking casually at the owls (for neither needed one) and continuing along to the Madam Malkin's because Alley did need some new dress robes and some for everyday wear too when she wasn't at Hogwarts. Dumbledore waited while she was fitted and then the two of them went to Florish and Blotts to look at books.

Alley loved to read. She read everything too. Mysteries, drama, fiction, biographies, text books... they were all on her shelves. She found that she had a good knowledge on most things because of this. She knew a bit about everything and was able to keep up in conversations that most eleven year olds would have ignored and found dull. Most of the time it helped her homework as well, she knew what books to go to for reference information almost automatically. Madame Pince found herself a grudging respect for the girl and actually handed her books that she thought Alley would enjoy reading. Though Madame Pince always talked to 'Miss Ashford' with a cool tone that conveyed none of the warmth she felt towards the girl.

Alley spent a good deal of her money in the book store. Though the library was nice she often yearned to re-read a book even after she read it. It was like coming home to an old friend and the longer she spent in the dusty shop that smelled as only a book store could, the more money she found herself parting with.

Dumbledore made stop at the apothecary too. What he bought didn't interest Alley half as much as all the ingredients that lined the shelves. Doxie dust in neat little bottles with bright orange warning labels, dragon hide wrapped up for sale by the bolt, long strings of unicorn hair glistening brightly in the sun... everywhere Alley's eyes fell there was another thing to investigate.

Upon the return to the main street of Diagon Alley they had just enough time to grab a couple of ice creams and head back home to Hogwarts. It had been a long day and both were tired and didn't speak much over their sugary desserts. Albus took one of the floos from the Leaky Cauldron and soon they were both in his office.


	3. Chapter 3

1After the holidays Alley spent more time with her mentors and began training her abstinimaige powers more fully. The basics of magic had been mastered and it was becoming obvious that private tutoring was more than ever needed for the girl. Professor Flitwick and McGonagall traded off and on with working with Alley. Although each had a very different teaching style Alley loved both of them. Each was impressed with how fast the girl learned and how much she seemed capable of.

Others too saw the special attention that Alley seemed to get. Especially the Slytherins, in which a certain group of students seemed to make it their personal mission to make Alley's life miserable. One night, after a particularly nasty incident in the halls in which two Slytherin students were still recovering with Madam Pomfrey, Alley was in the common room attempting to finish up an essay for McGonagall's transfiguration class.

"Alley?" Percy Weasly had approached the girl with a slight swagger. It was fairly well known that she had been involved in an altercation earlier and anything that made Alley looked bad seemed to excite Percy Weasly. "Professor McGonagall wishes to see you in her office." He said with a slightly smug expression. Alley rose and simply left through the portrait and went through the well known halls towards McGonagall's office.

Once there she found not only the head of her house, but also Dumbledore and Snape seated in the office.

"Miss Ashford, please have a seat." Alley had hesitated at the door when she saw the solemn looks on her mentors. At the invitation from McGonagall she headed over to the wooden chair and sank into it.

"We are very interested in knowing what happened in the charms corridor today." McGonagall continued.

"I was walking down the corridor towards the charms classroom when the two Slytherins came out and began to harass me." Snape made a noise of disbelief and Alleyne smiled sweetly at him. "Of course, I would be more than willing to take some veratiserum since it sounds like the stories are conflicting."

Severus's eyes narrowed and he said, "I do not doubt that the students were harassing you this time Miss Ashford, however you seem to have a way of getting into trouble with these students. I have a hard time believing that you are as innocent as you say." His tone conveyed contempt and before Alleyne could respond Dumbledore intervened.

"I suppose it is possible that Alleyne somehow upset these students in a prior engagement. However, as we have no proof of such a thing and a corridor full of witnessers saying that Antony Degenroot and Howard Crooz did indeed attack her from behind I find no reason to continue in this line of discussion. Snape looked as if he was bitting back a furious diatribe he longed to throw at Dumbledore. After being bid goodnight she walked from the room, knowing that Snape was staring at her she did not scurry instead she paused to give Fawkes a gentle stroke (and be cooed at in return) and then headed down the long spiral stairs. She strove to send the message that she would let neither the members of his house nor him, Snape, intimidate her.

Her first year continued much in the same vein. The wind whistled through the halls on the way to potions and most of the students went at a near run through the corridor to get to their classes for some measure of warmth. Teachers like Flitwick or McGonagall kept their rooms toasty, while Trelawney perhaps too much, however the dungeon that potions was held it remained like an ice box. Icicles had actually began to form on the upper parts of the dingy window sills.

Potions class was something of torture for most of the students. Snape spent as much time taking points off of Gryffindor as he did teaching. Alley, who was easily the most advanced student in the class, spent much of the period fielding questions thrown at her. At first these questions truly stumped the girl, she had no idea of the answers and Snape would sneer at what he called her ignorance. This attitude, instead of making her feel worse, fueled her to simply pick up a few extra potions books and soon she was able to answer all the questions he threw at her. After awhile he stopped because instead of making her seem to be a spoiled brat whose 'talent' was all due to her connections it was only proving the point that she could keep up with the best of them.

Percy Weasly continued to resent the girl and was one of the people who looked particularly smug about whenever Snape got the better of her. One day Alley came back to the common room after a particularly disastrous potions class where her partner had taken it upon himself and added knarl quills at the wrong moment although it was (rather largely) written right on the board not to do so until after the cauldron was removed from the flame and stirred five times in a counter clockwise direction. Snape was in a towering rage over it because the potion exploded and melted the two front feet, closest to the Gryffindors, of his desk completely off causing the whole desk to tip into the potion and dumping all the contents that had been on top of it into the potion where they too were melted.

Alley and her partner were both given detention and shouted at for a good quarter of an hour before released from the dungeon. Needless to say, Alley was in a towering mood of her own since her partner had seemed to deem it all her fault for not being there at that moment and was whispering about her to his friends. The rest of the class was just as irritable because Snape was making them re-write the essays that had been collected earlier and piled on his desk. They had been the first things to fall into the potion.

"Gradercoff Hedwig" Alley muttered the password to the large picture of the fat lady. Thinking as she did so she would be as old as that wizard before Snape would ever let her live down that it was her cauldron that had issued not a simple headache cure but the most potent acid ever know.

"Ahh Alley," Percy Weasly said with the distinct air of having come out the best in a situation, "such a pity. Detention during the first Quidditch match of the season and zeros for the day. I suppose there goes your top grade in the class."

Before Alley could throw the scathing remark that was on the end of her tongue at Percy his brother Bill rapped him upside the back of the head.

"Ow! Bill, what the..?"

"Leave her alone or as Head Boy I can make sure that you have detention at the same time for harassing her." Percy sputtered at Bill for a few moments but Bill had already turned around and went back to his arm chair and chatting with his friends. Alley took that moment to go flop on her bed. She half giggled to herself as she remembered the time that Percy had been tricked into following her up the spiral stairs to the girls dormitory. The stone slide that had formed dropped him primly right back into the common room and all dignity was lost as the whole common room laughed at him.

She didn't want to cry. All her life it felt like people were just waiting on her to cry and though she was so frustrated with the complete unfairness of her punishment she lay on her bed just pushing all of it away. She thought of going to Dumbledore or McGonagall but she knew that no matter if they did something or not she would face more trouble by students saying that she was undermining her professor... not to mention confirming that she really was just a favorite and not doing any work herself.

Alley didn't know when she fell from thought into slumber but she didn't wake until the other girls came back into the dormitory after dinner. Only Clara came in first. Her long blonde hair brushed carelessly from her face. When she saw Alley she gave her a smile and came over and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Clara's warm voice made some of the anger in Alley evaporate. Clara was one of those people who never really did anything unless she believed completely in it. She was a very loving girl and she was also very quiet.

"Alright, I can't believe how tired I was." Alley said, sitting up.

" I was sent by Professor McGonagall to tell you she wants to talk to you in her office." Alley sighed, wondering what else could go on today she rose. Ran a hand through her hair and straitened her robes.

"Here" Clara walked forward and helped Alley get her robes on strait and then went down with her to the common room. It was still empty. Apparently dinner was still in progress. Alley knew that McGonagall would be in her office though, just like she had said. Sure enough, once she had gotten down there the professor looked up from a pile of parchment on her desk.

"Miss Ashford," she motioned to the chair in front of her. " I wanted to speak to you. Bill Weasly recently informed of a rather unusual potions class that occurred this afternoon." Alley looked up rather surprised, McGonagall took no note of this and went on, "I have spoked with Professor Snape and it is decided that all of the punishment be lifted." She offered no reason for either the punishment or the revoking of it. "I wanted to let you know in person that it was done. I also wanted to tell you," She paused, "that I am rather disappointed that you would not have come to me yourself and told me what was going on."

Alley, who had been staring at the fire as she listened looked up again, "I... I am sorry, Professor... I only thought, that given everything else..."

"Alley," McGonagall interrupted kindly, "all of us are aware that you have no parent to appeal to. We are also all aware that going to Professor Dumbledore about problems is not the easiest given your... unique situation her. However, I wish you to know that I will be here to listen to you if you desire to talk." Alley was so taken aback by this that she didn't know what to say. McGonagall however didn't need a response and wished her a good night and mentioned that she may be able to catch pudding if she hurried to the great hall.


	4. Chapter 4

1And so the summer months flew by, and the next fall came again with little of interest occurring in Alley's life. She had moved back into her original quarters and actually been given the option of staying there or in the dormitory with the other second year girls. Alley choose the later, she was a bit lonely and though her room was plush and lovely the dormitories were where all the real action went on. Truth be told, she felt often enough like she was an outsider and didn't wish to help it along any.Alley had a couple of invitations to visit people during the summer. Dumbledore's permission was generous and she spent some time at Angelina Johnson's home and a couple of other people including Clara. It always impressed everyone (and embarrassed Alley) when Dumbledore showed up to collect her, asking how she had enjoyed herself and the like.

. Fudge seemed to forget that Alley existed, for which she was very grateful. She met with Dumbledore for a bit every month and if she wanted to tell him anything he was always seemed pleased to hear. Alley understood the need for discretion though and did not make a big show of her relationship in front of anyone. As it was she was teased constantly (though not as bad as in the her first year) about being his favorite. Her lessons with McGonagall were progressing as well. They consisted mainly of the basics required to master her powers as an abstinimaige and Alley had more trouble with some of those tasks than anything that hit her in the classroom with her peers. This, of course, made the mastery of a new spell or control over some aspect much more memorable than a charm that she had learned how to do properly with a wand. Indeed, Alley was learning to separate her wand work from her abilities as an abstinimaige. Though she didn't really see the point, and no one gave her a satisfactory answer, she trusted her professors enough not to question too much.

So life went on. Indeed as Alley grew older she became more powerful than ever. She became increasingly grateful that Dumbledore and McGonagal and installed such a sense of control in her so young. Alley couldn't help but wonder about her parents and it seemed that no one had answers for her either. She often thought that Albus knew more than he was saying and that he deemed her too young for any real information. Though she had no proof of this and that was lucky for him because just the thought of it made her irritable.

The Ashfords had been an old wizarding family and Alley knew that she was a pureblood, though this really made little difference to her. She, having been raised by Dumbledore, saw the folly of putting too much emphasis on heritage. After all, living in the past sure didn't make for much of a life.

It was a pity that her curiousity couldn't be qeunched so easily. She remembered a great deal about Voldemort (Dumbledore had put a stopper to the You-Know-Who nonesense early after taking Alley) and his death eaters. Most of which really came back to her in dim and dreary memories during the day and vivid, lucid nightmares in her sleep. It was not uncommon for Minerva McGonagall to come flying into Alley's chambers in the early hours of dawn to shake the child from a nightmare. She always questioned Alley and Alley always told her she didnt' remember them.

_Dark trees hung around them with vines or something draped everywhere so that it looked more like a tent with no top. The air was crisp and smelled of the mold and wetness of fall even though it was a midsummers night. Bellatrix walked in front of Alley holding the girls hand, moving so quickly that Alley had to make extra sure not to step on the older woman's cloak._

_In the middle of the clearing, suspended by seven feet at least hung two figures. Alley could not make out exactly what it was. She saw something slide from behind them, a tall, lean figure in with a black cowl on. The hood hid the figures face but for the first time Alley pulled back from Bellatrix. She didn't have to see this person to know that she was in grave danger._

_"My Lord," Bellatrix whispered still standing a few feet away. "I have brought her to you as you have commanded." The figure stepped nearer now. Bellatrix had bent over slightly in a bow that she had not raised out of. _

_"Yes Bella, she is young but as you said, strong. In her blood runs a great deal of raw, unfinished power." The voice from under the hood slide closer, his cloak shining in spots with what Alley was sure had to be blood. "She is the one I have been looking for." Bella seemed to almost sigh with relief, though she made no audible sound. "You have done well." _

_"Thank you My Lord."_

_Slowly the cowl was lowered to reveal those great red eyes glowing at Alley._

Minerva McGonagall had spent the better part of ten minutes trying to wake Alley up from her nightmare. The child was screaming. Her dark hair thrown everywhere and her arms thrashing. Several things had shattered from her throwing her magic random and unknowingly at them and it was a testiment to Minerva's courage that she didn't cower from the wreckage. Minerva had just managed to get Alley's other arm to her, hoping that she could prevent the girl from throwing anymore magic out when her door opened with a bang. Albus had arrived with a rather large hot chocolate stain on the front of his robes.

He took one look and joined Minerva and while she held the child he sat and began to attempt to wake her. Talking to her calmly at first and then taking her face in both his hands. She was sobbing in her sleep and something was scaring her greatly and eventually she did wake. Albus nor Minerva believed that it had anything to do with them being there that woke the girl for she had shown no signs of even knowing they were. Even once she was awake she spent a long moment thrashing trying to find out what was binding her so tightly for Minerva still had a tight grip on her. Albus finally turned her face to his and in the candlelight saw the girl recognize him and the relief in her eyes. Minerva was white as a ghost and when Albus gave her a slight shake with his head she let go of the girl though didn't withdrawl from the bed where she was half kneeling.

Alley was still sobbing and gently Albus pulled her into a hug. Ever so slightly he rocked her until her sobs started to give way. She pulled away a bit and in a watery voice whispered, "You smell like hot chocolate." Albus smiled but Minerva did not. She offered the girl her tartan handkerchief and watched as Alley wiped her face with it.

"How about a drink of water?" Albus said, conjuring a crystal glass with water in it from thin air. Alley looked more composed but when she reached for the water she was still shaking rather badly and Albus actually held the glass with her for her first drink.

"Alley," Dumbledore said finally, and the girl looked up at him slowly, "I think it is about time you tell us what these nightmares are about."

"I've n-never had one like th that before..." Alley's voice kept break and she looked like she would start to cry at any moment again.

"Minerva if I could ask you to wake Poppy and get a calming draft for Alleyne." Albus had not wanted to send Minerva McGonagall away since he knew she cared for Alley a great deal as well but he also knew that if they were to have any answers that night Alley would need the potion. The girl was already curled into a ball and crying again into Albus's front. Minerva saw this too and tried not to look to upset at having to leave as she went quickly to the matron's room and woke her.

When the two women returned not much had changed besides Albus was now sitting completely on the bed, Alley wrapped in his arms still sobbing, a bit less hysterically. Poppy moved quickly forward but Alley cried out when she was touched by the matron and began to cry even more hysterically. Albus motioned for Madame Pomfrey to give him the potion and he uncorked it and gently urged Alley to take a sip.

It took a long time before the girl was composed enough to drink any of the potion but slowly Albus was able to get her to drink about half of it and when it began to work a bit more. He stopped when the girl seemed to be able to compose herself, he did not want her getting too tired to answer and set the potion bottle down on her bedside table next to the crystal goblet that held the remnants of her water.

"Alley, please tell me about your dream." Albus asked directly but not unkindly. Poppy was shifting anxiously and he knew that the matron would only have so much paitence before she began demanding to examine the girl

Alley, however shook her head no. She had never told Dumbledore no before and for a moment he felt taken aback. The girl was staring at her hands which were no longer shaking thanks to the potion but bedewwed with tears that were still dripping from Alley's eyes.

"Alley," he began again, "whatever it is cannot hurt you here. Your safe with us. If you tell us about it we may be able to help you." he saw no response for the girl and he added, "We love you." Very slowly the girl looked up at Albus she truly looked like she wanted to tell him her eyes shone with fear but there was also something else there. Something that encouraged Albus to stay silent hold her gaze. And because he was watching her so intently he saw her eyes flick to where Madame Pomfrey and Minerva where standing watching.

"My dear ladies, if you could let us speak alone for awhile I promise that I will alert you when we are done and you can check Alleyne over to make sure she is well and fit." His voice was gentle but firm. At these words Minerva pursed her lips. She cared about Alley as much as anyone but she saw how scared the girl was, curled in Albus's lap like a child half her age and knew that Albus was right. Alley wasn't ready to talk to more than one person and the person she trusted the most was him.


	5. Chapter 5

1The door to her bed chambers closed gently behind the two woman and Alley didn't even raise her head. She was now leaning against Dumbledore's chest, listening to his heart beat. It was a comfortable position and she felt some of the terror start to drain off of her. Exhaustion was playing around the edges of it.

"Alley." Dumbledore's voice sounded especially deep with her ear pressed against his chest. She knew he wanted her to look at him so reluctantly she drew away. The right side of her face felt surprisingly cold once it was lifted. "The dream Alley."

She looked down again. "I've really never had one like it before." She whispered, he nodded. She knew that no one believed that she didn't really remember her nightmares so she wasn't worried about giving that away. "I... I am not really sure where we were but it was dark and cold though I felt like it should be warm... the trees were odd and she was practically dragging me..."

"Who was dragging you Alley?"

"Bellatrix. She was taking me somewhere, she never said where. We didn't talk the whole way there. It was so dark but she didn't light the path at all. We got to a clearing in these dense trees... maybe they were willow, they seemed to make a curtain all the way around the clearing so it had no real entrance... I think Bellatrix moved some of the branches aside for us to step through... there were things hanging.. People I think, but they didn't move or say anything. They were just suspended and then..." Alley had started crying again but not too hard.

"He was there. He told Bellatrix that she had done a good job and he was coved in blood. I think that the people hanging were dead but I couldn't really see proper it was just too dark... he took his cowl off and came up to me..." Albus could feel her trembling against him. She was only a child, just barely twelve and yet it was easy to forget her age. For a moment he felt as if he was pushing her too hard and perhaps he should just let it go but Alley continued without a prompt.

"He said that I would do well and he touched my face. He said that I was his and he would have me raised as such. I... I tried to pull away. He grabbed me for doing so and said that manners were in order. I tried to cry out to get away... I really did... honest... I couldn't..." She was sobbing hard again and in between she was gasping out the words.

"I know." He said, his heart sinking. "I know. I believe you. He can't hurt you here." As he spoke this mantra over and over he kept thinking what a fool he had been. Why else would Voldemort kept a child around. 'A child was all that she is too' he thought, anger burning through him.

For a little bit he tried to extricate himself from Alley to fetch Poppy but found that no more did he want to leave Alley alone than she want him to leave her. Finally he scooped the girl up in his arms and walked through the warm corridors with her to the hospital wing. Once there he found the door open and both women sitting around a tea tray talking quietly. Both stood when he entered with the pale girl. Pomfrey didn't waste any time and had him lay her on the bed closest to her office and quickly came with potion for a dreamless sleep. The girl took the potion and managed a weak 'thanks' before she was asleep. Poppy took the blankets and pulled them up and tucked them in around her gently. Then she turned to Albus who was watching the sleeping figure a look of great sadness around him.

Finally he looked up at the two women and then addressed Poppy. "I am going to need you to do a physical on her Poppy." His voice was grave and sad. He knew that none had ever been done on Alley and after this information he knew that one must. He saw the confusion in their faces and went on to explain what the girl had told him. Both women were completely speechless for long moments and Albus sat down in one of the chairs near Alley's bed.

"Albus... if this gets out..." Minerva began weakly.

"We'll deal with it. However, I think that more for Alley's sake than anything we should let her decide who she wants to tell. I only mentioned it to you both because I knew that she needed the exam and you know about the dreams." He looked down at the pale face that seemed so small. Voldemort had really surprised him this time, he had to admit that. He could easily remember when Tom Riddle had been that young and when he had gone to fetch him from the orphanage. How he wished he never had.

"Albus, I think that it may be best for me to do the exam while she is asleep. She's been through enough." Albus nodded his agreement to Madame Pomfrey and rose, Minerva followed him out.


End file.
